


Our Reasons

by PurpleRose244



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Almost forgot to say it's Christmas related, Angst, Christmas, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Present as a Secret Santa, Romance, Well - Freeform, What the frisk, enjoy, i love these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 02:00:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17274971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurpleRose244/pseuds/PurpleRose244
Summary: After the last akuma attack Marc has ignored Nathaniel the all week. Now, during the Christmas party at their school, the artist wants to make things right. He can’t lose him(present for findmeinthevoid on tumblr, merry Christmas ^ ^)





	Our Reasons

That was Marinette’s plan, one hundred percent. Or Alix’. Or both, honestly. The former because of her undying passion for their destined collaboration – like she didn’t already have things planned with someone else –, the latter… an occasion to leave him alone to deal with an awkward situation, consequentially facing his problems? The roller-skater’s kind of fun.

And here he was, locked outside the school during the Christmas party, with no other company apart from some malfunctioning Christmas lights, a stray dog sniffing his way in front of the building and _him_.

Marc didn’t look happier for the situation, nervously rubbing his hands together. He still wore his typical fingerless gloves, even if the tips were completely red. His nose was stuffed into a fluffy green scarf, and it did not come out during the last five minutes spent in silence. He looked as uncomfortable as he was back when Nathaniel first meet him. Were they really all over again?

The stairs were cold. There wasn’t snow at least. Just what were the girls thinking? Make them froze to death just to make things right?

Was he really that hopeless?

“Hey… maybe we should talk about it.” Nathaniel faked a cough.

Marc shrugged, not looking up. His eyes were so lucid, hard to tell if for cold or the situation. Nathaniel was really glad his superhero counterpart didn’t have that eye color, or even trying to emulate that on his notebook would be impossible.

Alix knew better than anyone how stubborn he was on the matter, she had one of his street painting made of nothing but shades of green. No one even close to Marc’s. A challenge that costed her too much painting for losing it. She pouted for the entire week, getting herself together only under the promise to never bring up the matter ever again. She really couldn’t see it like Nathaniel could.

A car passed in front of the school, lights getting bigger then smaller as they got away.

“You have something to say?” Marc’s almost whispered voice was hurt and husky. Just how much he thought about it? All week? It’s been a week after all. Staring at the calendar every day gave him the assurance of it.

The Christmas party was continuing inside, the music was loud. Nino was probably having the time of his life. All of their friends, and they were out, in the cold. Alone. It was surprising how little he felt the unluckiness of it.

Nathaniel scratched the back of his head. Something to say. Maybe, but the _right_ thing to say? No way to know it for sure. He didn’t want to make it worse than how it already was. What was really the problem? He just knew that, after the last akuma attack, Marc had ignored him like he suddenly disappeared from the world.

And it hurt. So bad.

Nathaniel cleared his voice.

“I guess. I mean, I know you’re upset. I get it, that akuma was huge, it basically destroyed the city. Trust me, I had my thinking about it too. But we’re both fine, we can get through it… right?” He smiled nervously, turning at him.

And Marc was finally looking back. Disbelief. His lips were slightly parted. He opened his mouth, then closed it. He shook his head. His eyes hardened, but he was fidgeting with his frozen fingers. It was probably painful.

“For a comic.”

Nathaniel blinked.

“What…?”

“Nathaniel, you risked your life for a comic book! That is not okay, no matter how much you pretend it is!” Marc shivered. “I just… do you have any idea how scared I was when you did that? I get it, it’s our work, but if it wasn’t for Ladybug and Chat Noir you wouldn’t be here! And you still think you did nothing wrong, this is why I’m angry!” He went silent, his face was incredibly red, his eyes reflecting the Christmas lights.

Nathaniel felt the world disappear. Oh. Oh yeah.

He ran towards it. While everybody was escaping from that giant thing, he went straight towards it. Because of a comic.

The akuma was just a middle-age woman that couldn’t get over the Christmas shopping stress apparently – he got the information from Alya afterward, it was good material for their comic series. A giant ant busy accumulating all the stuff she could find inside her, getting bigger and bigger, to the point she was devastating the city just by walking in.

When it happened, they were hanging out in the city. Even if neither of them was a never-ending source of Christmas spirit, they loved getting inspired just by the feeling of it. The invisible atmosphere and warm of the holiday.

It was something they had in common. Just another thing they had in common.

Then, the attack.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”. Nathaniel lowered his head.

The writer sniffed, hiding more of his face in the scarf. He closed his eyes.

“You put yourself in danger like that, without saying a word. Do you have any idea how scared I was when I lost you in the crowd? The entire city was crumbling, a-and I was f-frozen on the spot with n-no idea of what to d-do…” His shoulders were trembling. In his usual closed pose, he looked way smaller than how he really was.

Nathaniel felt a painful press in his chest. Slowly he reached for his hands, bringing them together into his gloved ones. He didn’t look up, concentrating on those iced tips.

“I-I didn’t mean to make you this worried.”

Marc shook his head. Tears immediately fell.

“What was the point? We can make thousands of comics together, one less one more, it doesn’t matter! But we won’t if something happens to you! What if Ladybug didn’t grab you in time?? What if you got hurt, of worse?! I don’t want that!! I don’t wanna be alone now that I have you!!” He gasped, like he got scared of his own raised tone. “S-sorry, I… forget that, I-I didn’t want to put it onto you.” His shoulders were shivering terribly.

Nathaniel felt his entire body aching. He needed to do something. Anything. So he let go of his hands and hugged him around the shoulders. His heartbeat was getting faster, he could hear it in his head, right near another really loud one. He closed his eyes, hoping that it wasn’t too much, that even if Marc was angry and shaking like a leaf it didn’t mean every bond between them was lost.

He felt a wave of relief when the writer reached for his back, leaning his chin so close to Nathaniel’s neck. He could feel those black hair tickling his ear, and the scarf slightly brushing his skin. It sent a wave of warm all over him.

Nathaniel smiled.

“You’re too nice.”

The cutest squeak followed.

“W-what?! I’m just…”

“For real. What are you doing with someone like me?” Marc definitely wanted to protest, but maybe his low tone made him quiet. “It came to my mind at some point. It was all because of Marinette that we ended up working together, otherwise we wouldn’t even know each other. If it wasn’t for our shared interests… for a comic…” Nathaniel swallowed, his throat was getting dry. He breathed, a white cloud came out of his mouth.

The writer moved his head a little, accidentally brushing his lips onto his neck. His bones melted all together, so he instinctively closed his eyes.

“What are you saying?” Marc’s voice got low and intense.

Nathaniel swallowed. After knowing him they spent so much time together. Being alone an entire week had gave space to unpleasant thoughts.

“I gave you a hard time accusing you when we met. I turned you into an akuma. And now I even made you so angry you ignored me. You, with all the people! The only reason I can be around you is my work, and that’s us! That’s the only reason why we are together!” Nathaniel hold Marc closer, his arms shaking. “So… when I realized I dropped the comic, I panicked. I thought that you were going to hate me for losing it, that you would’ve realized that there is no other reason we see each other so frequently. I didn’t want to lose you. And now that I say it it’s really stupid, you’re not like that.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I really am.” Nathaniel tried to break to hug, too ashamed and sorry for himself to keep the contact.

He never had a reason for drawing. It was his everything, hobby, passion, ambition, a part of him like an eye or a leg. Now it brought him someone special, in a way that made his heart shaking for fear and happiness. He couldn’t lose it.

Marc suddenly took his hands instead. His eyes weren’t gloomy anymore, just vivid, bright. His cheeks were completely red.

“You’re right. There’s no other reason.”

It felt like a slap. Nathaniel lowered his eyes.

“Y-yeah. I guess it’s just a fact, eheh.” Marc was still staring intensely at him. “What?”

The writer swallowed. He slowly moved closer, keeping eye contact even if his eyelids were shaking. The Christmas lights reflected in his green lakes.

“But I want other reasons.”

“Huh?”

Marc smiled, the world lightened up.

“I love seeing you and working together on our comics, it feels like I’m accomplishing something amazing. Like putting together pieces that are naturally meant to be close. But… b-but it’s not just that.” He looked at his hands. “Even when I didn’t know you I was into your art, it spoke to me, inspiring me to get better at what I do too. And I admire you for having so many good friends, something I always have a hard time finding. A-also, the thing about getting inspired by the city, I’m glad it’s not silly since you do that too! And, a-and…” He bit his lip, his entire face was the equivalent of a Christmas light now.

Nathaniel found himself in awe, unable to say a think, fearing he would stop talking. But he did, Marc looked stuck on his own words. The artist slid some more, brushing their hips together.

“Marc?”

“I… I think you’re really handsome. I-I know, it’s shallow! But I thought about it since I first met you, it’s what I really think!” He breathed out, sending hot air on their hands. “I’ll never get tired of working with you, I’m sure. But I want more reasons to see you, to hang out and talk… o-or whatever you wanna do, really!” Marc swallowed hard, shily spying the other’s reaction. “What… do you think about it?”

His cheeks and nose were completely red, his lips tense. His pupils kept moving, like he didn’t know where to look on his face. And the green. No grass, no mint, no pistachio. Even saying green oceans would be reductive.

Nathaniel felt himself on fire, from the frozen stairs he was sitting on to his fingers intertwined with Marc’s. His mind went blank. _Is this really happening?_ A wave of excitement made him shiver. _Did he really ask that?_ His face burnt. _Is this going to happen?_ He locked eyes with the shy, terrified guy in front of him, so close he didn’t realize he was.

The artist reached for his cheek, making him squeak. No looking back. No useless thoughts in between. He leaned and kissed him on those red, cold and cracked lips. Marc’s hand gave him a hard, surprised squeeze, only to relax right after in a dreamy sound. It felt like flying with no body or worries. The winter wasn’t on them anymore. Another car passed through, the light barely touched them. The Christmas lights turned off for just a moment.

When Nathaniel found himself enough to step back, he looked right into Marc’s half lidden eyes, lips parted and still slightly humid. He smiled, and the writer mimicked him.

“I would like that.”

He wanted more reasons too.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go! This was my piece for the Miraculous Ladybug Secret Santa! Had a lot of fun, especially because I loved this ship the moment I saw them and this was the perfect opportunity to write about them ;)
> 
> This was for findmeinthevoid on tumblr, a little late but I finally got it ^^"
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!  
> See ya!! Byee!! ^ ^


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